Revealed: Mercedes W09 EQ Power +

[Paul Jeffrey]

Welcome to the world the dreadfully named W09 EQ Power + Formula One machine of reigning champions AMG Mercedes...

Launched earlier today at the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit, the new W09 Mercedes Formula One car of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas has already taken to the track just minutes after launching to the waiting public, taking some cautious exploratory laps of the Northamptonshire track in the hands of second year recruit Valtteri Bottas, performing under 100km on spec Pirelli promotional tyres during a Mercedes filming day.

Designed to challenge once again for a World Championship fight, the W09 has the hallmark of success so prevalent in its recent predecessors , or so says 2017 World Champion Lewis Hamilton:

"Last year the car was fantastic, but there were so many things we could still improve on," said Hamilton. "What we’ve done is taken a lot of the DNA from last year’s car - this is the sister car, an evolution of that.

"This is better than last year’s car in every aspect. It looks quite similar but inside, underneath the shell, and even the bodywork, it’s all refined to perform even better than it did last year.

"I’m really excited because there were some races - like Silverstone - that were very successful for us, but then there were some races where we struggled. Understanding where our weaknesses were and then working on them has been at the forefront of our goals and minds.

"The engineers have done a phenomenal job – I’m really proud and grateful for all the hard work that’s gone in. I’m fit and ready to take [the new car] where it needs to go."​

The launch today is hopefully a sign of things to come for the dominant team of recent Grand Prix seasons, with early bragging rights achieved thanks to beating Ferrari to the new car launch punch by several hours.. a sign of things to come?

Formula One car launch dates:

February 14th - Haas Ferrari
February 15th - Williams Mercedes
February 19th - Red Bull Tag Heuer
February 20th - Renault
February 20th - Alfa Romeo Sauber Ferrari
February 22nd - AMG Mercedes
February 22nd - Ferrari
February 23rd - McLaren Renault
February 25th - Toro Rosso Honda

TBC - Force India Mercedes​

If you like your motorsport fast and open wheeled, check out the Formula One sub forum and get yourself in on the discussion today!

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Do you like the new Mercedes? Let us know in the comments section below!

 

[RowanZa]

Toto says it all??

if video starts without sound, just click on video to get sound back
https://twitter.com/SkySportsF1/status/966653491312779267

 

[TheSourceOfTheNile]

This is an improvement over last season's livery, but I wish that Mercedes would go back to using the pure silver liveries that they used to use with some of their older cars.

 

[KittX]

The first photo has a reflection which first made me think the nose has some slight edge in the middle. That would be something new!

 

[Eckhart von Glan]

it's not really a livery, its trying to salvage the disaster wreaked on the car by the engineers. holy cow, this season's grid is pure ugliness, amazingly the halo is about the only decently designed aspect. notice how many teams try to hide the monstrosity packed in front of the front wheels by painting the wings dark on the outside, makes them blend in with the tarmac and look smaller. Dito the grotesque rectangular floorboards (Hm, how can we make these grossly static things go away ...?).
Horrible, here's hoping these uglies are good for some interesting racing.

 

[KittX]

notice how many teams try to hide the monstrosity packed in front of the front wheels by painting the wings dark on the outside, makes them blend in with the tarmac and look smaller. .

(Mr. Regular voice):
2018 F1 car. The official car of

 

[paracletus]

Another great car.
Can't see any significant difference to the W08, other than the proverbial.

 

[davewilliams000]

Toto says it all??

if video starts without sound, just click on video to get sound back
https://twitter.com/SkySportsF1/status/966653491312779267

Haha saw this earlier! Got to love Toto's honesty sometimessso could only give one rating so I went beer, but also would do love and haha if possible

 

[wowbagger]

We are approaching the ugliness of the 2008 cars. Watching F1 this year will once again start to feel like being an entomologist.

How I wish they would take a pair of scissors to the aero regulations and just replace them with a sketch of the MP4-4 and a big red arrow saying "TRY TO LOOK SOMETHING LIKE THIS!"

 

[apex11]

If find it so odd that a safety device like the halo can actually make the drivers look even more exposed.... i never really thought about it much before, but now with those big gaps either side of the central beam, it looks so exposed.

If a wheel did come off the tethers and smashes into one of the side mirrors that could then do some serious damage to the driver.....

 

[wombat999]

Looks just as bad as the rest.
The 'thong' adds to the whole mess!

 

[2112]

We are approaching the ugliness of the 2008 cars. Watching F1 this year will once again start to feel like being an entomologist.

How I wish they would take a pair of scissors to the aero regulations and just replace them with a sketch of the MP4-4 and a big red arrow saying "TRY TO LOOK SOMETHING LIKE THIS!"

I cannot agree more. I am not senile enough, yet, to say that the cars like the MP4-4 did not look similar, but the F1 cars of today have no uniqueness about them. They all look the same.

I must admit that the halo's do not detract as much as I thought they would, the designers have done a good job in making them seem less visually intrusive, but I wonder how good they will protect in the long run. Sure, they will prevent large objects from striking the drivers but I cannot remember the last time a wheel was responsible for a death or serious injury in open wheel racing.

I do not believe a halo would have prevented Senna's death, Wilson's death and it surely would not have helped Bianchi as the halo would have crushed into Bianchi. Perhaps, and this may be the logic behind the whole deal, the objects would have been deflected up and/or away in the Senna and Wilson incidents, but it seems as if the Halo was designed in the way it is as a mere sop to safety instead of a honest effort to protect the drivers.

This is why I think this way: A small part flying striking the halo will either be deflected above/away from the driver or into the driver. If the halo is not...frangible (?) it will add to the energy, or not take any away, thus causing the same or more damage to the driver. Yes, it will prevent some injury but those types of injuries, as I stated above, are few and far between. In the Bianchi incident the halo may have merely been another object that would have transmitted energy to Bianchi and may have interfered with extrication during the rescue efforts if the halo was intact, even partially, or did not have a quick release.

I applaud the idea, I just think it was not thought out thoroughly enough to really make that much of a difference. I do, again, applaud the designers for making it less obtrusive than I thought and I think we will all forget about it as time passes. I know I thought F1 was stupid for forcing teams to reduce the size of the sidepods in the post-ground effects era. Those cars, while jarring at the beginning, are ( to me) some of the most beautiful race cars made.

 

[gamer19]

We are approaching the ugliness of the 2008 cars. Watching F1 this year will once again start to feel like being an entomologist.

How I wish they would take a pair of scissors to the aero regulations and just replace them with a sketch of the MP4-4 and a big red arrow saying "TRY TO LOOK SOMETHING LIKE THIS!"

Shouldn't you be more into those late70s/early80s cars ?
I mean... Villeneuve and all those stuff.
Every era has it's fans. I know a guy who swears into mid-90s cars ! Can anyone believe that *hit ? But he does exist and from outside he looks just like any normal guy, like you or me.

This year Merc doesn't look that bad to me. Certanly better than Haas, Ferrari or McLaren.
Quite sleek and clean, especially from the side. But it's always a personal view ofc.

 

[KittX]

Every era has it's fans. I know a guy who swears into mid-90s cars ! Can anyone believe that *hit ? But he does exist and from outside he looks just like any normal guy, like you or me.

Whats wrong with that? They were light (well, some not ), had minimum electronics, manual gearboxes, most of them were RWD. They're pure driving fun, no?
Or do you mean the F1? The engines sounded glorious.

 

[gamer19]

I was talking (aren't we all?) about F1 cars.

This is ugly. To me.

 

[wowbagger]

Shouldn't you be more into those late70s/early80s cars ?
I mean... Villeneuve and all those stuff.

Hell ya! I'd take this ...

Spoiler: this...

in a heartbeat over what we have these days.

There's just too much going on on the front wings, the barge boards are out of control, and they got rid of the shark fin ... partially? Head on, these cars look like a kid with extensive orthodontic headgear apparatus.

I know once the cars are racing on track I won't care what they look like. But for now they aren't exactly poster queens.

And actually I quite like the Macca this year; love orange, and it's much better than last year's eyesore.

Edit: But not the Mclaren's porcupine spikes on the sidepods .

 

[KittX]

I was talking (aren't we all?) about F1 cars.

This is ugly. To me.

Yeah, and look at 2008 cars, look at tendency of '18 ones.
Better if both regulations and teams thought of proper flow through the body, and inside the body, than building all those things.

Double wings in '69 were fun tho

 

[gamer19]

Hell ya! I'd take this ...

in a heartbeat over what we have these days.
There's just too much going on on the front wings, the barge boards are out of control, and they got rid of the shark fin ... partially? Head on, these cars look like a kid with extensive orthodontic headgear apparatus.
I know once the cars are racing on track I won't care what they look like. But for now they aren't exactly poster queens.
And actually I quite like the Macca this year; love orange, and it's much better than last year's eyesore.

Ugh brother... can't agree with you that this is one pretty car. Sorry.
Though... this one is.

Or this one! @@

Agree thou on these new star trek cars.
So many add-ons on them, it's perverted.

 

[wowbagger]

Oh, yes, totally agree with you. I was saying, even with the stupid double rear wing thing, I like this car better than what we have going now.

That Ferrari 312 T3 had a quirky front end. But the way the body swoops and undulated from front to back more than makes up for it. For my money, 67, 78-94 are the best years for F1 visually (with a few notable exceptions, of course). Really really really don't like all the bits and bobbles hanging off the modern cars in every direction.

I do love it when the end plates or the barge boards get knocked off on the opening corner and then the car proceeds to faster and faster throughout the entire race.


edit:

Spoiler: my rig ..

 

[KittX]

forgive my stupidity, but we see a lot of wing flex on those cars. What are the odds/efficiency of all those multiple aero bits on a wing that will wobble through the curbs, travel in the corners?